Resident Evil Code: Veronica X

"If you've managed to miss it on the Dreamcast, catch it here with Wesker revealed? Then...go and kill things..."

I’ve been playing Resident Evil games since the original was first released on the Play Station. I’ve followed the different sequels through the different systems over the years and was rather pleased to find that Code: Veronica was available on the Play Station 2. What you’ll find different in this version is extremely limited, with the back-story of Wesker, the “bad guy” of the first Resident Evil being the chief improvement over the Dreamcast version! Another small feature that this port over has, is that at the time, you could get a small demonstration disc that contained Devil May Cry, one of the best Capcom action games that you can find.

The story line that was in the Dreamcast version hasn’t changed in the slightest, except that you now have the back-story of Wesker integrated into the Code Veronica game with an extra CD, which adds another ten minutes to the overall story. Story wise, you take the role of Claire Redfield whom is looking for her brother that has disappeared while investigating the evil Umbrella Corporation. After an intense fire fight and capture, she awakes on an island in which nothing is what it seems and the dark feel of the Resident Evil history is finally realized!

The game play is nothing short of fast and furious during later portions of the game, but it tends to start out a little slow with most of the important parts of the game being shot right at you through suspenseful, if not expected points. As with previous Resident Evil games, you have to find items that will further your quest while solving several different puzzles that range from the blatantly easy to the rather mind wracking at different points of the game. What you’ll find is that some of the features that were placed in Nemesis {Resident Evil 3} are back with the quick 180 turn and some of the quick menu options as well.

What you will find here is that the game is exceptionally hard, simply because you have to conserve your ammunition throughout the game and use it when you need it the most. This cannot be stressed enough when you’re out of bullets within the first twenty minutes of the game, and are stuck with nothing but the damned toothpick of a knife! Boss battles are a little more difficult, with the camera angles seeming to screw you and the overall slowness of the characters that you use. However, if you’re looking for a quick walk in the park, you won’t find it, simply because you have to travel through the same areas over and over to find pieces of the long and sometimes very involved puzzles.

Control in Resident Evil is something that you’ll need to learn how to use, and fairly quickly. Within the first few minutes of the game, it’s a fight or run situation in which you either expend your bullets or you dodge the zombies and other creatures by running away. However, because the camera angle switches in certain points, you have to learn to adapt to the direction that your character is running, or else you’ll find yourself an easy mark for a hungry zombie! Switching the items and using objects is nothing too hard though, and if you’re a Resident Evil veteran, then there is nothing here that you’ll find too difficult to pick ip and run with.

Visually, there really isn’t much of an improvement over the Dreamcast version, with this version being the same gritty and dark gore fest that the Dreamcast version was. Most of the differences that you’ll see come with the slightly smoother presentation that the game offers to you, and with the Wesker CD, but you really won’t find much else that’s entirely different. Zombie heads explode with the same bloody outcome that you would expect, and even most of the regular enemies that you face off against are copies of one another with the bosses being the only exception to the rule! What will catch your eye is the way that the locations are presented and the dark, suspenseful feeling that they represent at nearly every turn.

Audio wise, you have the suspenseful track that comes with any good horror action game, and although there really isn’t much else here that will really keep you glued to your seat, it keeps the pace of the game. Different events are accentuated with pick up tunes that really do heighten the pace and upcoming portions of the game, but most of those only come in when a boss battle is about to commence. Sound effects, as usual, are done with the same attempt that RE3 tried, giving you moaning zombies and the sharp crack of the gunfire, loud explosions and otherwise. All in all, you really won’t hear much of a difference here if you’ve played the Dreamcast version, so don’t look too long for massive improvements!

Code Veronica X is more or less a slight upgrade of the Dreamcast port with the Wesker story being the main feature that the game has to offer. However, you’ll find that if you buy the game now, it still comes with the Devil May Cry demonstration disc which is a nice bonus if you haven’t made up your mind on the game! The control, visuals, audio and overall story are the same with no noticeable improvements and if you’ve played the Dreamcast version, then you’re not missing anything new. For Resident Evil fans, this may be the first and only Resident Evil game for the Play Station 2, and if you’re into Code Veronica, then it’s a solid purchase.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/27/02, Updated 01/27/02